Beer can punch



Jan. 5, 1954 CONLEY 2,664,623

BEER CAN PUNCH Filed July 51, 1952.

George D. Conley INVENTOR.

WW Em Patented Jan. 5, 1954 r 1 OFFICE BEER CAN PUNCH Georg e-D. Conley, Sweetwater, Tex.

Application July 31, 1952, Serial No. 301,827

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in beer can punches, generally speaking, and has more particular reference to one which is characterized by a base, upright means attached to and rising vertically from the base and a handle-equipped punch rockably or otherwise pivotally mounted on the upright means in a manner to puncture and punch in a pour hole in the end of the can in a now well-known manner.

As the preceding statement of the invention implies, a combination can holder and punch having the features stated is now admittedly old. An object of the instant invention is to structurally, functionally and otherwise improve upon prior art devices having these common characteristics, and in doing so to provide a highly practical and adaptable arrangement in which manufacturers and users will find their respective requirements and needs satisfactorily incorporated and met.

Another object of the invention, in general, is to improve upon and reduce the number of parts entering into the combination, thereby not only increasing the efiiciency of the structure as a whole, but also rendering the same less costly to manufacture and to otherwise simplify factors of assembling and sale.

More specifically, the invention has to do with a handy base on which the can'may be placed in an upright position for ready punching, an upright fixed to and rising vertically from an end portion of the base and having a journal on which a punch is rockably mounted. said punch having a lever and said lever being unique in that it has a handle portion which is broad, relatively speaking, and therefore of sufiicient areal extent that all that one needs to do is to practically lay the palm against the surface and bang down Without having to grasp the handle by encirclement with the fingers, as often is the case.

It wil1 be evident from the foregoing, therefore, that the improved handle-equipped lever makes it possible for a single person to punch one beer can after another with rapidity, certainty and comparative comfort such as is often required at an outing, picnic, or the like and which still avoids injury to the users hand.

Other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a holder and 2 punch constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the structure seen in Figure 1, looking upwardly; and

Figure 3 is a central longitudinal sectional and elevational view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings by way of reference numerals and with reference to the complete assemblage seen in Figure 1, the base is denoted by the numeral 6. It comprises a wooden or equivalent block of any suitable portions and configuration, but which preferably has a flat top surface for firm reception and support of the readily applicable and removable beer can or other equivalent container as shown in phantom lines. At one transverse end I0 is the upright means It. This may be described as an inverted U-shaped standard. Actually, it is a suitable length of rigid wire or rod material which has spaced parallel limbs I l-l4 having inturned lateral feet l6l6 embedded or otherwise anchored in the bottom of the base. The bight portion at the top, denoted at l8, provides a satisfactory journal on which the hinging or pivoting bend 2th of the beer can punch is pivotally mounted, as best shown in Figure 3. The punch proper 22 is of any suitable form and the pointed end thereof works back and. forth between the limbs or legs of the U-shaped standard. Thispunch means is connected with the lever unit which is denoted, generally speaking, by the numeral 24. As stated, this has a broad shank 26 to which the shank 28 of the beer can punch is attached by screws or other fastenings 3030 in Figure 3. To assist in accomplishing this, there is a reinforcing plate or bracket 32 which underlies the shank 28 and which is fastened in place by the same screws and which has a depending blocklike enlargement at one end which may be described as a stop 34. The surface 36 is also an. abutment and is slightly spaced from the slightly resilient beer can punch 22. Thus, as the punch is forced through the lid or top of the can it yields slightly, but the degree of yielding is limited more or less by the stop provided by the abutment surface 36.

An essential aspect of the invention has to do with the large disk-like head 38 at one end of the lever and the smooth surface areas 40 and 42, especially the gradually curving area which is best seen in Figure 3 and which two surfaces 40 and 42 and broad portions of the lever provide an ideal rest for the palm of the hand of the user. As stated, this sort of handle construction on the lever affords an ideal means whereby upon pressing down, the punch is forced through the can without resistance. In any event, the punching step is made easy and the hand of the operator is neither bruised nor rendered sore or injured by repeated can-opening operations.

It is yet to be mentioned that, if desired, a stabilizing pin 44 may be provided and this is secured in the base so that a peripheral edge portion of the bottom of the can rests against the same when the can is in punching position as seen in Figure 1.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that a clear understanding of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

Minor changes in shape, size, materials and arrangement of parts may be resorted to in actual practice without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having described the invention, claimed as new is:

1. A beer can racking, holding, and punching device comprising, ;a base, a LI-shaped standard having limbs vertically disposed and anchored at their lower ends on said base and having a big-ht portion at its upper .end, said bight Q01? tion providing a journal, said limbs being spaced apart and the intervening Space permitting a segmental portion :of the beer can, when resting atop said base, to fit in the space to assist in rackin the can in the exact needed place tor retention and steadied punching, a stabilizing pin on said base cooperating with one pf said limbs, a lever, and a beer ,ean punch having .a shank attached to said lever, said shank -having an .assembling and hinging bend pivotally attached to .said bight portion.

v2. ,A beer can racking, holding, and punching device comprising, a hat top horizontal relatively stationary base, an inverted .U-shatfid standard having spaced parallel, vertically disposed limbs with their lower ends fixedly -,anchored on said base, and having a hight portion at its upper end, said bi ht portion being .in vertically spaced parallelism above the :flat top of said base and providing a journal, .said limbs L-being spaced what is apart and. intervening space therebetween permitting a segmental portion of the beer can, when resting atop said base, to fit in the space and to thus assist in racking the can in the exact needed place for steadied holding during the punching step, a beer can punch embodying a shank portion and a lateral punch portion and an intervening pivoting bend, said bend being hingedly attached to said journal and said punch swinging back and forth in the space between the limbs, a lever, the shank portion of said punch being attached to the underside of said lever adjacent one end of said lever, the other end of the lever being formed with a head of prominent size having smooth surfaces for reception .of a blow from the hand of the user, and .a bracket superimposed against and fastened against said shank and having a lateral block-line enlargement at one end, said enlargement providing an abutment and being slightly spaced from but opposed in proximity to said punch.

,3. A beer can racking, holding and punching device comprising base means, a U-shaped standard attached to and rising vertically from said base, said standard means having spaced limbs between which a segmental portion of the beer .can may be temporarily placed, saddled and retained while in a punching position, a lever and a beer can punch carried by said lever, said beer can punch being hingedly mounted on said upright means, said lever having a head portion .of considerable size and areal proportions at one .end and having a broad shank attached to .said punch, the upper surfaces of the head and shank portions being smooth and curved and otherwise shaped to provide satisfactory reception and purchase for the palm of the hand when operating the punch by way of the lever.

GEORGE D. CONLEY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 133,500 Thomas Nov. '26, 1872 1,001,060 McPeak Aug. 22, 1911 1,866,642 Geer July 12, 1932 2,500,266 Weller Mar. 14, 1950 2,556,731 Lapierre June 12, 1951 

